Thoughts and links from the crew of the On Computers Radio Show as we wander the Web.

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Links from the Gregg Zone

1) I heard a rumor that Earl may be including some electric bikes in his segment, so when I ran across this article I thought it might be a good fit. With all of the talk about China becoming the next mega auto pollution country, there may be a ray of hope stirring due to a new popularity in E-bikes, and not just China, India is right there. What I like about this is that, with markets that large; and increasing interest in the U.S. we may see an increase in technology, and design, coupled with a lowering price. http://www.cbsnews.com2) Ever have doubts about the monies spent for space exploration, thinking we do not get much bang for the bucks we spend. Well I was listening to a radio show someone was complaining about just that. Then the interviewed guest started talking about research, and spinoffs that are regularly given away by N.A.S.A., he mentioned N.A.S.A has a yearly publication listing all of them. The publication is free if you request one, they also have a free searchable archive at the site, great item for those interested. http://www.sti.nasa.gov3) Medical advancements seem to really be taking off these days; I heard a story on N.P.R. last week about the trafficking of human organs from poorer countries to people who do not wish to wait for a donation. Taking advantage of poor people who get $10,000 for a kidney, but the brokers sell them for $100,000. An even scarier story out of China, they are using mobile death vans for capital punishment by using lethal injection, they leave the body intact for the organ trade, story here http://www.usatoday.com All that made this story about growing organs in the lab, look like a very good thing to me. They have already grown hearts for rats, say people coming soon, http://www.newscientist.com4) Like those printable batteries this is another one of those discoveries leading to wearing your computer like a undershirt, or maybe just packing a lot of electronics for medical purposes in wearable clothing. Amazing what we can learn from observation. http://blogs.zdnet.com5) This one has been bouncing around in my maybe folder for a while now, so I thought I would use it to day. It is about the Loebner Prize. While I would guess it is not new to most of you, it was to me. I had no idea they had a prize for A.I., but I suppose it makes sense, the x-prizes seem to get results. I would guess with A.I. realistic robo telemarketers are right around the corner. I may have to regulate my land line to the cell phone drawer. http://discovermagazine.com